A good poop story goes a long way

When I entered motherhood, never did I think a conversation starting out as “You’ll never guess what happened last night,” would end with “There was poop everywhere!” and consider this the most hilarious event of my husband’s and my weekend. But, hey, poop happens. And when you have an infant, it happens a lot, and can sometimes make life a little messy.

As my husband Matt and I began talking to friends who are parents as well, we were surprised at how freely poop stories such as ours entered their way into conversation. Soon, we’d find ourselves in a back and forth competition of sorts, saying, “You think that’s bad, wait till you hear this!” Four years ago, I never would have thought my daughter Ella’s unpredictable bowel movements would be a source of entertainment. But as those Johnson & Johnson® commercials remind us, “Having a baby changes everything.” And with the addition of our youngest, Jaisa, who's now almost one, those poop stories keep coming and never seem to get old.

A bonding experience
As strange as it sounds, these little (and not so little) poop stories had helped lighten up our marriage during the often trying times within the first years of our daughters' lives. To this day, we still bring up our first “projectile poop” experience with Ella and how we just both stood there surrounding her, surveying the after-math, and laughing harder than we had laughed together in a long time. With Jaisa, we were armed and ready...or so we thought, until that first explosion. Then, somehow it felt like we were transported back in time, not sure whether we wanted to brave the storm or duck and take cover.

Throughout the trials and tribulations of parenthood, when things get messy laughter is sometimes the best medicine. My one piece of advice to any new parents, always open with caution.

Life After Birth: The Post-partum Conundrum

Is that her “I’m hungry” cry or the “I need to be changed” cry? At 2 am, who can decipher the difference! Surviving the first few months of your baby’s ever-changing life is a challenge in itself. If you haven’t had time or been too sleep deprived to notice, your body is once again going though some major changes too. Giving birth takes a lot out of you—literally!

You’ve likely been overwhelmingly prepared for what you can expect when you’re expecting; but once the baby is born, then what? You might not be as certain about how to deal with the “after-effects.”

For example, I was completely thrown off when about a month after giving birth to my first daughter Ella I started losing what seemed to be a ton of hair. Thankfully, I later found out that this was perfectly normal. I wasn’t actually losing more hair, it’s just that hair tends to stay put and grow while pregnant. After giving birth, normal estrogen levels return and normal hair loss occurs again, which can come as a shock after going 9 months with very little “shedding.” You can imagine my relief!

Bladder Matters
Similar to hair loss, incontinence is a very common post-partum concern making many new moms feel helpless and insecure. During delivery, all that pushing and wear and tear on the pelvic muscles can leave them weak afterwards, which means you may experience bladder leakage when doing everyday things—picking up your child, sneezing, coughing, laughing or getting out of bed. Ahhh, the joys of motherhood!

First of all, don’t panic—adult diapers are likely not part of your immediate future. Kegel exercises can do wonders in strengthening your pelvic muscles back to top form. For another natural approach, experience the benefits of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pumps Up Bladder Power
In my experience, taking a nutritional supplement featuring pumpkin seed extract really helped “put a cork in it” naturally by helping support healthy bladder strength.

For most effectiveness, look for a product that contains a concentrated, 18 to 1, extract of Cucurbita pepo. Certain products also use a patented process which removes the fat soluble components from the seed, revealing a more potent extract, which has been clinically shown to promote urinary tract and bladder health.

Remember to talk to your physician before taking any nutritional supplements. Some products may not be recommended if you’re nursing.